Guest Post!
Two Fun Facts About Chasing Xander by Lexi Lawton
Authors are often given the advice to “write what they know.” While I understand the concept behind this, it can be very limiting in that, well, I don’t know much about a lot of things. LOL. At least, not enough to write an entire book about it. So, I take this advice to mean you should write from your own experiences, and that’s what I do. I take things I’ve experienced, expand and twist them just enough to make them way more exciting, and then I shove them into a book. There are a couple of instances of this in Chasing Xander…
1. The Frat Party Experience – When I was a freshman in college, a friend of mine begged me to go to a frat party with her. I’d obviously never been to one before and had no idea what to expect, but I reluctantly agreed. I will never forget when we arrived… We walked into a packed house. I’m talking shoulder-to-shoulder bodies with barely any room to move around. The place was smoky and dark. The music was so incredibly loud, and there were a group of guys chanting and hollering. I have no idea what they were saying or why, but my friend and I decided not to stick around to find out. Though I often wonder what that was all about.
1. The Frat Party Experience – When I was a freshman in college, a friend of mine begged me to go to a frat party with her. I’d obviously never been to one before and had no idea what to expect, but I reluctantly agreed. I will never forget when we arrived… We walked into a packed house. I’m talking shoulder-to-shoulder bodies with barely any room to move around. The place was smoky and dark. The music was so incredibly loud, and there were a group of guys chanting and hollering. I have no idea what they were saying or why, but my friend and I decided not to stick around to find out. Though I often wonder what that was all about.
When I decided to have Kylie drag Celeste to a party at Xander’s fraternity, I was determined to finally answer the question that had been haunting me—what were those guys chanting about? Here’s what I came up with:
Two hours later, Kylie stood against the wall and observed her first-ever frat party. It wasn’t anything like she’d expected. It was crazier. Shirtless guys with Greek letters painted across their chests and stomachs ran around shouting things she couldn’t quite understand.
Two hours later, Kylie stood against the wall and observed her first-ever frat party. It wasn’t anything like she’d expected. It was crazier. Shirtless guys with Greek letters painted across their chests and stomachs ran around shouting things she couldn’t quite understand.
A tall, dark-haired guy walked by, then stopped and turned back to face them. “Are you two really standing there?”
Kylie’s heart raced in that way it did when she knew something was off but didn’t quite know what. She glanced at Celeste for some sort of signal, but Celeste stared at the guy wide-eyed. That was a lot of help.
“Uh, yeah,” Celeste said.
The guy put his fingers in his mouth and whistled around them. “We got us some wallflowers, boys!”
There was a chorus of hoots and hollers. Kylie moved until her back was flat against the wall, and she was trapped. What the hell was going on? Her gaze darted around. Where was Xander? She swallowed hard, her stomach rolling, threatening to eject the pizza she’d eaten for dinner.
“What do we do with wallflowers?” another guy shouted.
“We pick ’em!” screamed several guys in unison.
Two of the bigger guys stepped forward, grinning. The one on the right lifted Kylie over his shoulder like she weighed nothing. She screamed and then laughed when the other guy did the same to Celeste.
“Put me down!” Celeste shrieked and kicked her feet. Then she laughed, too.
Ignoring her, the tall guy asked, “And what do we do with ’em once we pick ’em?”
“We water ’em!”
Next thing Kylie knew, she was being carried through the frat house and outside. She couldn’t see a thing except for this guy’s ass, but the next moment, she was weightless, falling through the air. She screamed seconds before she hit the pool.
2. The Gym Scene – After getting scolded by his fraternity president, Xander and his buddy, Finn, head to the campus fitness center to blow off some steam. While there, Kylie walks in and totally distracts Xander, causing him almost face-plant off the treadmill.
I got the idea for this scene while working out at my own gym. I was minding my own business on the elliptical when this gorgeous woman walks in. She saunters toward the front of the gym where the weight equipment is, and I notice these two guys rubber-necking to get a better look. The idea hit me for Xander to do that when he sees Kylie, but to make it a little more embarrassing for him. Here’s what happens:
With a nod, he followed Finn toward the campus fitness center. After changing into his gym shorts and a T-shirt, Xander stretched his legs and cracked his neck before rolling his shoulders to loosen them up. Then he stepped onto the treadmill next to Finn. He set the incline to two and jacked the speed up to eight. Then he ran his ass off. The monotony of running in place and the sounds of others working out nearby soothed him, helped to dissipate the anger that still had a clutch on his muscles.
Beside him, Finn increased his speed to ten. Xander eyed him and then increased his speed to eleven. Before he knew it, they were racing against each other, seeing who could go the fastest, get the most miles, burn the most calories. Sweat beaded on Xander’s brow and trickled down his back. He lifted his shirt, using it to wipe his forehead, and that’s when he saw her.
Kylie.
His heart raced even faster. She was walking with Celeste toward the front of the fitness center. Kylie wore a tank top and a pair of yoga pants. She very clearly wasn’t wearing any panties, and her ass was so round, so firm. His shorts tightened. Memories flooded his mind, of how she’d looked last night with her wild hair and sparkling eyes as she shook her body, and he faltered, his steps slowing despite the consistent speed of the treadmill.
“Oh shit!” He grabbed at the sides to stop himself from face-planting and then slammed his palm against the red stop button.
There is another scene in the book that was inspired by real life events. Any guesses as to what scene that is??
Kylie Quinn is positive nothing could be more embarrassing on her first day of college than having her unmentionables go sprawling across campus. She was wrong. Very wrong. Having a super-sexy co-ed twirl them around his finger like he's privy to all of Victoria's Secrets is so much worse.
Xander Collins has met his match with Kylie—she’s gorgeous, smart, sarcastic as
hell, and doesn’t give a damn that he’s loaded. She’s also a virgin. And he doesn’t do virgins. Been there, done that, and he’s still paying for it. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be friends, despite the fact her flirty moves leave him with balls a shade of blue he never knew existed.
Kylie is special, and she deserves more than his typical “one and done” routine. But as his life implodes and his not-so-brilliant plan to take things slow blows up in his face, he's at risk of losing everything—including Kylie. Now he must decide if everything he's been fighting so hard for is worth it without her by his side.
Xander Collins has met his match with Kylie—she’s gorgeous, smart, sarcastic as
hell, and doesn’t give a damn that he’s loaded. She’s also a virgin. And he doesn’t do virgins. Been there, done that, and he’s still paying for it. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be friends, despite the fact her flirty moves leave him with balls a shade of blue he never knew existed.
Kylie is special, and she deserves more than his typical “one and done” routine. But as his life implodes and his not-so-brilliant plan to take things slow blows up in his face, he's at risk of losing everything—including Kylie. Now he must decide if everything he's been fighting so hard for is worth it without her by his side.
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Born and raised in Central New York, Lexi Lawton is an only child who found companionship in books. When she was old enough to put pen to paper, she began writing her own stories of love, suspense, and heartbreak. The Collins Brothers Series is her first publication—but it won’t be her last! She also writes young adult novels under the pen name Kara Leigh Miller.
Today, Lexi lives in Michigan with her husband, a herd of kids, and what could probably be considered a zoo of dogs, cats, and fish.
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love the blurb and post today
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